A skewed view of the world

Someone said to me recently, upon discovering that I am a graphic designer, that I must look at the world in a very different way.

Which got me thinking about just how I do look at the world, and how that view helps me be a better designer.

Retro engineering every piece of design I come across and deciding that either I could have done way better, or that I wish I’d thought of it, is wholly useful in both learning new skills, production methods and design ideas, as well as gaining an understanding of how not to do something.

Then there are the new things taken away from every design project – whether it is learning about a new business, process, place, product or service, or working out some particular design problem – all this information will be useful again at some point down the line.

But it’s not just ‘designery’ things that offer up inspiration – the world at large holds SO much raw material: from the smallest of details (the fractal pattern of a snowflake, the colours in a butterfly’s wing, or the mathematical precision of a bee hive) to the big stuff (the high-rise perspectives of a metropolis, the tidal-esque ripples of high cirrocumulus, or the general majesty of this pale blue dot*)

A good designer will blend all these influences and nuggets of information together with the ’must haves’ of any specific industry, and deliver a creative solution that is as fit for purpose as it is beautiful.

Design is very subjective, but whilst someone may not like the look of it, every design decision should have a solid reason behind it, otherwise it’s just added noise, so if it’s not immediately obvious, always push your designer with the simple question…

‘Why?’

And if they cannot give you a decent answer, then maybe you should call us.

Contact Bobbyflash on 01908 965 994 and we’ll happily spout all creative at you!

 * Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994